Swansea hires former Ostersund coach Potter as manager

SWANSEA, Wales (AP) - Swansea has hired former Ostersund coach Graham Potter as its manager, hoping he can take the club back to the Premier League.

Swansea says the 43-year-old Englishman has signed a three-year deal with the recently relegated club.

The Welsh club confirmed last week that it had agreed on a compensation package with Ostersund for Potter, plus assistant Billy Reid and recruitment specialist Kyle Macaulay. Potter led the small Swedish team into the Europa League knockout rounds this past season, where it was knocked out by Arsenal despite a 2-1 win at the Emirates.

Potter succeeds Portuguese coach Carlos Carvalhal, who departed after Swansea's relegation was confirmed on the final day of the Premier League season after the team spent seven seasons in the top flight.

Potter guided Ostersund to three promotions, from the fourth tier to the top flight, and also won the Swedish Cup in 2017.

Potter said: "It's a chance to start again. We know how frustrating the last few years have been, but hopefully the relegation will be seen in a few years' time as the best thing that ever happened to the club. ... I had an amazing journey at Ostersund from a personal and professional perspective. People talked about me coming back to the UK quite often, but it was always about the right opportunity."

Potter has a long-standing connection with Swansea through his friendship with Graeme Jones, a former assistant to Roberto Martinez at the club. It was Jones who recommended Potter to Ostersund in 2011.